Europe News

The European Union imported €11.4 billion worth of green energy products in 2025, while exports reached €4.6 billion, according to Eurostat data published in October 2026. The figures cover solar panels, liquid biofuels and wind turbines, revealing contrasting trends across the three categories, with lower import values for solar panels and biofuels offset by a sharp increase in wind turbine imports. Solar panels remained the largest category by import value, accounting for €

The European Commission has issued statements addressing United States sanctions measures adopted in October 2026, expressing concern over their implications for international pressure on Russia and the continued operation of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The statements concern a US executive order waiving sanctions and tariffs required under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, and US sanctions against the ICC under Executive Order 14203.

New quarterly measures aim to identify emerging capital losses and weakening profitability between regular stress tests, giving financial supervisors a more timely picture of banking sector resilience. The European Central Bank (ECB) has developed two new indicators designed to monitor vulnerabilities in euro area banks between scheduled stress tests, providing regulators with more frequent information on lenders’ ability to withstand economic shocks, absorb losses and main

The borrowing-cost hierarchy across the eurozone has changed significantly, with Belgium paying interest rates close to those of Greece and France facing higher borrowing costs than Italy. The shift reflects diverging fiscal positions, political uncertainty and changing investor perceptions of sovereign risk as European governments prepare to issue record volumes of debt. On 15 October 2026, Belgium’s 10-year government bond yield stood at approximately 4.29%, compared with 4

The Council of Europe and the European Union have taken a further step towards strengthening international cooperation on money laundering and criminal asset recovery, with the signing of a new protocol designed to help authorities trace, freeze and confiscate proceeds of crime, including crypto-assets. The Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism, commo

The European Union strengthened its position in international high-technology trade in 2025, recording a surplus of €32.4 billion as exports continued to expand, supported by strong demand for pharmaceuticals, aerospace equipment and other advanced manufactured products. According to figures released by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, high-tech exports to markets outside the bloc reached €566.5 billion during the year, exceeding imports of €534.1 billion. The figures

The European Central Bank is proposing a broader and more proportionate supervisory framework for small and non-complex banks, potentially bringing around 150 additional institutions within the lighter regime. The proposals, outlined by ECB Executive Board member and Supervisory Board Vice-Chair Frank Elderson, would expand the existing framework for small and non-complex institutions (SNCIs) rather than creating a separate regulatory regime for smaller banks. The current SNC

Diesel has become the most expensive fuel at European filling stations, with the average price across the European Union reaching a record €2.226 per litre on 21 September 2026. According to the European Commission’s Weekly Oil Bulletin, the figure represents the highest EU-wide diesel price recorded since the series began in 2005. It is also 13.4 cents per litre higher than the average price of Euro-super 95 petrol. At current prices, filling a 50-litre diesel tank costs